How do I get sound from a golf simulator, and can the projector show TV?

In summary

The projector should show the picture and, in most rooms, stay out of the sound. In a Garmin R50 room the simplest route is the projector's built-in speaker or a Bluetooth speaker paired to the R50. For proper stereo speakers, take the sound off before it reaches the projector with an HDMI switch that has audio extraction, or specify the BenQ AH700ST, which can send sound out over HDMI. In a PC room the speakers plug into the PC. TV is the easy part: the AH500ST has two HDMI inputs, so a Sky box or streaming stick goes in the second one.

Where the sound is made

Nothing in the enclosure makes sound on its own. It comes from whatever is running the simulator.

• Garmin R50. The R50 makes its in-game sounds (the strike, the landing, the crowd) and sends them out with the picture over its HDMI A/V port, or to a Bluetooth speaker. Garmin's manual says that to hear the in-game sound effects you must connect a Bluetooth speaker or an external display, so the unit has no speaker of its own for them.
• PC. In a GC3, EYE MINI, KIT, Mevo or Square room the PC makes the sound, and a PC has its own outputs: a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB, Bluetooth and HDMI.
• Tablet. The same as a PC: its own speaker, Bluetooth, or the HDMI adapter.

What the package projector does with it

Our SimSpace packages use the BenQ AH500ST. This is exactly what BenQ's spec page and manual say it can do with sound, because this is where most of the confusion starts.

• A 10W mono speaker built in. Fine for a practice session; it is a projector speaker, not a hi-fi.
• One audio output, a 3.5mm jack. BenQ's manual says it is "only capable of playing mixed mono audio, even if a stereo audio input is connected". The built-in speaker mutes when anything is plugged into the jack.
• No HDMI ARC or eARC. BenQ's own comparison table lists HDMI Audio Return as "N/A" for the AH500ST and "eARC" for the AH700ST. No optical output either.
• No CEC in the manual. CEC is the feature that lets one remote control several HDMI devices. Don't plan on it.

Mono means one channel of sound, so every speaker plays the same thing; stereo means separate left and right channels, which is what gives music and games their width. Feed a stereo pair from the AH500ST's jack and both speakers get the same mono signal, which wastes good speakers. In summary, the AH500ST is fine for its own speaker and a poor source for anything else.

The routes that work

Room	Simplest	Proper speakers
Garmin R50, no PC	The projector's built-in speaker, or a Bluetooth speaker paired to the R50 in its settings.	An HDMI switch with audio extraction between the R50 and the projector: HDMI in from the R50 (and a TV box), HDMI out to the projector, stereo out to the speakers or soundbar.
PC room (GC3, EYE MINI, KIT, Mevo, Square)	Speakers or a soundbar on the PC's own output. The projector gets picture only.	The same. A PC gives full stereo and keeps the projector out of the sound path, so there is nothing to add.
Any room that wants sound over one HDMI lead	Not possible with the AH500ST.	The BenQ AH700ST (eARC) with a soundbar or receiver that has an ARC input. Check the throw distance fits the room first.

An HDMI switch with audio extraction is a small box that passes the HDMI picture through to the projector and splits the sound off to its own stereo output, usually RCA and optical. We don't sell one; any AV or electrical retailer does. It lives at the projector position and needs a socket there.

The AH700ST route

The BenQ AH700ST has HDMI eARC (BenQ lists "eARC, 7.1 channel") and Power On Link and Power Off Link settings in its manual, so with a soundbar or receiver that has an ARC input it sends the sound out over one HDMI lead. The trade-off is the throw. For a 2.3m-wide picture its lens needs to sit about 1.6m to 1.9m from the screen, against 1.15m for the AH500ST, and it does not suit our enclosure-mounted arm, which is made for 0.5 throw-ratio projectors. Check it fits before you choose it: see throw ratio and projector mounting.

Choosing the speakers

Powered speakers (ones with their own amplifier) and soundbars want a line-level stereo input: RCA (the red and white phono plugs), a 3.5mm jack or optical. Those are what an HDMI switch with audio extraction, or a PC, gives you. Check the soundbar's inputs before you buy, because some only have an HDMI ARC input, and that is no use in an AH500ST room.

Hi-fi systems with their own connectors are different. Bang & Olufsen speakers use Power Link, for example, and need the maker's adaptor lead from a standard stereo output, plus a source that controls the volume, because the speakers themselves have none. Ask the maker or your dealer to confirm the lead for your model. The rule for any system: if the speakers have no volume control, the box feeding them must have one.

TV, Sky and consoles on the projector

Yes, and this is the easy part. The AH500ST has two HDMI 2.0 inputs with HDCP 2.2 (the copy protection that streaming services and Sky check for), so a Sky box, streaming stick or games console goes in the second input and you switch between golf and TV with the projector remote. A 4K source plays, scaled down to the projector's 1080p. With no CEC, don't expect one remote to run the projector, the box and a soundbar together.

The TV sound follows the same rule as the golf sound: the projector cannot pass it on over HDMI. Either the box's own audio output feeds the speakers, or the box goes through the same HDMI switch with audio extraction as the R50, which is the tidier answer because both then reach the same speakers. A projector is an evening TV, so read projector brightness before you promise the family daytime sport.

First fix for sound and TV

If the walls are still open, these are the runs to put in now. The full list for the whole room is in first fix.

1. Stereo RCA or optical from the projector position (where the switch lives) to the speaker position.
2. Speaker cable from a subwoofer to its satellites if they are wall- or ceiling-mounted.
3. A socket at the speakers or subwoofer, and one at the projector for the switch.
4. HDMI from where the TV box will live to the projector position.
5. An aerial or satellite feed, and a socket, at the TV box position for Sky.

Run them in conduit with a draw string so any lead can be swapped later; HDMI plugs are bulky, so leave room at each end. Lengths and safe routes are in cabling.

A known R50 issue

Owners on Garmin's forum report that Practice Mode is silent over HDMI until the HDMI lead is unplugged and reconnected, while course play in Home Tee Hero sounds normally. Garmin's release notes for system software 5.0.0 and GLM 4.3.0 say only "bug fixes", so I can't tell you it is fixed. If you hit it, reconnect the lead or pair a Bluetooth speaker; the pairing steps are in set up the Garmin R50.